Alkanes are the major components of petroleum. Due to the dwindling natural oil reserves there are increasing efforts in developing petroleum from other natural sources via synthetic reactions, such as the Fischer-Tropsch process. Unfortunately, neither natural sources nor Fischer-Tropsch production yield alkane mixtures with a tightly controlled molecular weight distribution. Further, Fischer-Tropsch production yields a products having low molecular weights and there is no practical method for the interconversion of alkanes to give products of high molecular weights. As such, there is an ongoing need for improved materials and methods for the production of alkanes for use in, inter alia, the production of petroleum.